Twenty Nights
by snowdrifts
Summary: This is the story of the twenty times Lucas Friar knocked on Maya Hart's window. [Lucas x Maya]
1. Night 1: November 13th of freshman year

**A/N: Welcome to a little series of one-shots! Here are the twenty times Lucas Friar knocked on Maya Hart's window.**

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 **Night 1: November 13** **th** **of 9** **th** **grade.**

 **Third Person P.O.V**

The first night Lucas Friar had the guts to knock on Maya Hart's window was a night he would always remember.

It was for such an idle reason, considering the fact that she had forced him to do their entire science project. But he had eventually gotten fed up with the fact that she always forced him to do their projects. So he did what he had to do. He went up to her window to give her a piece of his mind.

But when she opened the window, blonde hair up into a messy ponytail, running mascara and red lipstick smudged and that damned tight black dress, his anger all drifted away. He was aware that Maya had had a date that night, but he wasn't aware that it had ended that badly. The look of pain in her eyes told enough.

"What do you want, Lucas?" She asked. He wasn't sure how to answer her, being too focused on the fact that _Maya Hart_ , "The Unbreakable", was _crying._

She rolled her eyes and went back to her bed, sitting on it. He took the opened window as an invitation to come in, and he did. He shut the window behind him to keep the chilly air out.

He took place next to Maya and without a word, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. Her body was tense at first due to the sudden physical contact, but she relaxed into his embrace eventually. She had buried her face in the crook of the boy's neck, and had let the tears out.

Lucas held her until she was done. She had somehow switched positions, sitting on his lap, her arms around his neck, and her face buried in his chest. His arms were around her petite waist, and he listened to her sob.

Hearing someone cry was never something Lucas enjoyed, especially not when it came to his friends. He had seen Riley cry, he had seen Farkle cry, but never Maya. _Ever._ Maya was the one who held the others as they cried; she was the one able to cheer up anyone over anything. She had a gift for those kinds of things. When it came to Lucas, he was more of a listener. He was very awkward whenever people cried, not knowing how to react, nor wanting to hurt the person even more. He would usually hug the other and listen.

So that's what he did.

He asked Maya what had happened, and after she had dried her tears, she told him. He had expected to get slapped, or to get snapped at, but never for her to open up. They were close friends, yes, but they would never talk about what was wrong in their lives.

He knew that with tonight, that would change.

On her date with Charlie, he had tried to force himself on her.

And Lucas saw red.

He paced her bedroom floor, fists clenched, ready to completely beat the shit out of Charlie. But then, he saw the look on Maya's face. The pain in her eyes was too much for him, and it calmed him down instantly.

He went to her desk and grabbed what he thought were the make-up wipes. He wiped the smudged make-up from her face, and she chuckled quietly, her reddened eyes looking up to him.

"I must look like such a mess." She said. He smiled at her.

"I've seen worse." He said. She let out a small laugh. Lucas thought that he had succeeded, but the pain came back as quickly as it had gone earlier.

They lay on her bed together, his arms wrapped around her, her face buried in his chest. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep. Lucas promised himself to never leave the blonde to cry herself to sleep ever again. He vowed to take care of her, because he never wanted to see the pain in her beautiful blue eyes ever again.

And that was the first night Lucas knocked on her window.

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 **A/N: Some chapters will be longer, some will be shorter. I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**


	2. Night 2: May 25th of freshman year

**A/N: Don't get used to daily updates. I was just very inspired after seeing so many spoilers for Girl Meets Yearbook on Instagram. I hope you will enjoy this second chapter!**

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 **Night 2: May 25** **th** **of 9** **th** **grade**

There was a knock on the window.

Maya didn't bother to look, knowing that there was only one person crazy enough to knock on her window at 2 A.M.

To be fair, she had texted him.

 **Lucas: Are you going to open up?**

Maya paused. Should she?

 **Lucas: Maya. I can see you.**

She got up from her chair and opened the window. He made his way inside, auburn hair all over the place, plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt she could tell had been on his bedroom floor for a while.

But it wasn't her place to judge; after all, he had just been dumped. Her best friend had broken up with him after a fight.

A long, long fight that made sure to include Farkle and Maya.

Their relationship wasn't working out, in the end. So Riley ended things. And Lucas did not take it well. It had been three days, and he hadn't shown up at school. He skipped the play, so Farkle had to take his place. He missed his baseball game.

Maya was not expecting him to show up tonight, but he did. She had debated for most of the night, and at 1:45 A.M, she couldn't take it, and texted him. He replied two minutes later, saying that he was on his way.

She made her way to him, and hugged him.

The reason why it had hit him so hard was the way it ended. They had been dating for six months, going on seven the next week. He was trying to fix things, but Riley had been so distant, so cold with him. He didn't understand, because it was so unlike her to act like that. And when one day, she asked him to go to her place, he knew it was coming. He knew it was the end, but he didn't necessarily want to believe it.

He liked her. A lot.

He knew he could have loved her.

But when she told him that she only loved him as a _brother_ , it broke him. He questioned his whole relationship with Riley, whether she had ever liked him like he liked her or not, whether it was a big joke and she was playing him all along, he didn't know. He just wanted to be alone.

So he started skipping his classes. He didn't want to see her.

He skipped the play. There was no way his character would tell hers that he loved her.

He skipped his baseball game. He knew that Maya always dragged her and Farkle along, and he wouldn't have been able to concentrate with her there.

 _Why?_

He tried telling himself that it was just a dream. He tried to reassure himself by saying that things would be better. But why was he not feeling any better?

Maya helped with that.

Her embrace was warm and tight. He felt good in her arms, and he knew that she felt the same way. His arms snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, hugging her close to him.

He sniffled.

The blonde looked up at him. The pain in his eyes made her sad. She didn't like seeing her friends so fragile, so hurt.

They sat down together on her bed, and he leaned his forehead on her shoulder. She wrapped an arm around her shoulders, trying to comfort him as best as she could.

"Lucas? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. But she knew that there was nothing to talk about. She already knew the whole version of the story, but she knew only three point of views; hers, Riley's and Farkle's. Lucas was the only one who hadn't talked to her about what had happened, or how he felt. But she knew how he felt; she knew the feeling all too well.

"She left me. I thought she wanted me. But she likes me as a brother, Maya. _A brother._ I can't do anything about how she feels." He said, voice quivering. Maya sighed and made him look at her.

"Listen to me. Riley doesn't know what she's losing, okay? You're an amazing guy, and any girl would be lucky to have you. If she doesn't understand that, then too bad for her. But she cannot help the way she feels. You need to stop acting like it's the end of the world." Maya said to him. His pained eyes didn't seem to get her point.

Usually, being straight-forward with Lucas worked. But tonight, it seemed like all he wanted to do was cry.

For the rest of the night, Maya held Lucas. Almost no words were shared, and the only time they had moved was to lie down on her bed. Her arms were around him, his face buried in her hair. At some point, he fell asleep. She could not.

And that was the second time Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more!**

 **-xx**


	3. Night 3: August 2nd

**A/N: Okay, maybe daily updates are a thing. For now!**

 **I am switching from using the grades (8th grade, 9th grade, etc.) to using terms like "freshman" and "sophomore". It's a lot easier for me (considering the fact that I don't really understand how grades work in the U.S). I hope you will enjoy this next chapter!**

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 **Night 3: August 2** **nd** **, summer between freshman and sophomore year.**

Three knocks on the window.

Maya looks up from her drawing, her wide eyes looking towards the window as her body tenses up. Once she made out Lucas' figure in the dark, she sighed. She put her paper and pencil down, stood up and made her way to the window. She opened it and let Lucas in once more.

She didn't know why he was here. Well, actually, she had a pretty good intuition as to why he had come.

Maya was aware that she hadn't talked to any of her friends – except Riley – in any way. No calls, no texts, no Facebook messages, no Snapchats. She had spent the summer with Shawn and Katy, travelling for Shawn's job. She had loved every minute of it.

But during the travels, Shawn and Katy had fought. She was supposed to be travelling until the end of August, so when Riley found out that Maya had gone back home, she knew something had happened.

Plus, Shawn had been staying at her place.

Maya had been in a funk. She missed having Shawn around. She would easily get lost in her thoughts ever since she came back, which explained why she had never bothered to call anyone. She didn't want to talk to anyone about it, because she knew that everyone would treat her and look at her with pity; she didn't want that.

Her only problem was that she couldn't keep a concerned Lucas away.

She looked at him, and he looked at her. They stared at each other for some time before he hugged her. She wasn't sure if he knew, she wasn't sure why he had come, but she knew that his arms around her felt nice.

She hugged him back.

"Shawn's gone, Lucas." She said. He nodded.

"I know. But he's planning on fixing things with your mother. Don't worry, Maya. It will all be okay, soon." He said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

The gesture was unexpected, foreign. She was too sad about the situation to make anything out of it, though. It didn't matter to her.

Lucas looked into the blonde's eyes. He could tell that she was in pain, but her face showed no emotion. She was a blank canvas; devoid of color and emotions.

"I don't understand," She started, pulling away from the boy's embrace. She sat back on her chair and picked up her drawing, resuming her task. "I thought he wanted to live here. He said that we were a family. He _promised_ that he wouldn't leave." She said.

Lucas could tell that Maya was getting frustrated. She was pressing her pencil harder on the sheet of paper, her face scrunching up as she drew harsher lines.

He was aware of the situation between Shawn and Katy, but no one had talked about Maya. He had tried texting her, but he figured that her cell was turned off. No returning his texts, no returning his calls.

He had missed her.

She would usually reach out to her friends when she felt bad, but this time, it was different. This sadness seemed a lot deeper, probably bringing back the memories of her birth father.

He sat on her bed. "He's going to come back."

"He said he wouldn't leave!" She said, piercing a hole through her sheet. She threw the pad and the pencil on the floor, burying her face in her hands. The boy made his way to her, kneeling in front of her.

He could hear her cry.

A few minutes later, he was sitting on the floor, her on his lap, his arms wrapped around her, holding her as she cried.

 _How could he leave?_

 _Why did he leave?_

 _He promised._

So many thoughts coursed through her head. All the feelings she had pushed away, all the things she wanted to forget.

They were all coming back.

And it hit her hard.

Eventually, the cries died down. Lucas didn't know how long they had been sitting like this. An hour, maybe more? He couldn't tell.

He could feel her slow, rhythmic breathing. The poor girl had cried herself to sleep.

Lucas, being the gentleman he was, stood up – very awkwardly – while holding her in his arms. He made her way to her bed and laid her down. He was about to back out, when a sleeping Maya pulled him down on top of her.

He sighed and rolled next to her. Her small hands were balled into his shirt. He kissed her on the forehead once more before closing his eyes.

He knew that one day, his heart would pay for the way Maya Hart made him feel whenever he spent the night by her side.

And that was the third time Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Alright, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I especially hope that you liked the little Lucaya hint at the end.**

 **Plus, if you guys have suggestions for later chapters, you can either PM me or leave a review with your idea! I love including the reader's ideas, that way, it feels like you're all part of the story!**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more!**

 **-xx**


	4. Night 4: September 1st of sophomore year

**A/N: The feedback for this story has been so amazing. Thank you all for supporting this story, I'm glad you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!**

 **P.S: There's a poll on my profile, it's about your favorite Girl Meets World ships. If you have ten seconds to spare, it would be appreciated if you could vote!**

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 **Night 4: September 1** **st** **of sophomore year**

2 A.M.

A knock on the window.

Maya is stirs in her sleep, but doesn't wake.

Lucas knocks again.

Maya groans, knowing very well who was at her window. She throws a pillow at the window, trying to get him to go away. She grabs her cellphone, and the brightness blinds her momentarily. Once her eyes readjust, she can finally read the time. As much as she loves spending time with her friends, she loved her sleep even more.

The window opens and Lucas steps inside her room.

She mumbles something incoherent, her own way of saying hello.

Lucas sits on the edge of her bed. She looks at him, blue eyes confused, trying to figure out what would be so important that Lucas had to see her right away.

He didn't know.

He had been hanging out a lot with Maya ever since the whole Shawn and Katy fight. Just like Lucas had told her, her mother and Shawn had gotten back together about a week later.

The longest they had gone without seeing each other was three days, and those three days were usually filled with texts, Facebook messages and calls. They would call each other almost every night to make sure the other was okay, without directly asking. They had bonded a lot during the last month of summer, and that scared Lucas.

He knew that eventually, he would fall for her. He hoped that she would fall for him. But he didn't want to ruin their friendship without being certain.

Not yet, anyways.

So why was he at her window? He should be avoiding her, he should stay away from that blonde-haired she-devil, but she was like a magnet. She was like a drug, something he could never get enough of.

The seconds of silence seemed to be agonizing for Maya. The blonde sat up, hugging one of her pillows close to her chest. She ran her fingers through her long, tangled blonde hair.

"We were going to see each other in five hours. Our first day of class is in five damn hours. What was so important that you had to wake me up?" She asked.

He didn't know.

He just needed to see her.

He could tell that she was waiting for an answer, but he wasn't sure what to say.

"I can't sleep." He finally said. Maya wondered for a few seconds if it was truly why he was here, but she was too sleepy to care.

"So, waking me up was your brilliant solution to make yourself fall asleep?" She asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. The blonde yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Well, I always sleep better when I'm with you." He said. Maya studied him to find another motive, but all she could see was a boy in need of sleep.

She was aware that Lucas had insomnia, due to his nightmares. It was something he would never admit to, but he had told her after he woke up during one of their nights together. He had woken up suddenly, screaming, a vision she could never forget. He had seemed so scared, so fragile, that she could only assume that it wasn't the first time. And when she had demanded explanations, he had given them to her.

The nightmares had been going on for a while, and that's what brought on his insomnia.

She just assumed that tonight, that was his problem. His nightmare from last night must have scared him too much. He just didn't want to go back to sleep.

She didn't know it was because he just wanted her in his arms again.

He took off his shirt.

"Woah, Huckleberry. Calm down. I'm too tired for this." She said. Of course she wasn't tired enough to stop teasing him or calling him names. That never stopped.

 _Is she telling me that if she wasn't tired, we could-_

 _No. Lucas, stop._

 _She's your friend._

 _Your best friend._

He rolled her eyes at her innuendo. She knew he preferred sleeping without a shirt on, but she would still tease him about it, whether it was during a sleepover at Riley or Farkle's house, or even if it was during their little impromptu sleepovers.

He found his spot on her bed, and lay there. She did the same, her body towards his, looking into his eyes.

He could have kissed her right there.

 _No._ He thought to himself.

He chose to kiss her on the forehead instead, something he was now used to doing.

She closed her eyes, leaning into his embrace. He let his lips linger on her forehead a bit too long, and then rested his chin on top of her head. Maya fell asleep easily, and Lucas couldn't help but envy her easy friendship with slumber.

It took him a few minutes, but eventually, the warmth of Maya's body against his was enough to help him fall asleep.

And that was the fourth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more!**

 **P.S: Go on profile to vote for my poll!**

 **-xx**


	5. Night 5: October 6th of sophomore year

**A/N: I know, I know, I should be updating White Pine Camp. But the mind writes what the mind wants to write. I promise that an update for WPC is coming soon. I have to start preparing for college, so the updates might come less often, but I won't leave the stories unfinished, don't worry.**

 **So in this chapter, Riley and Farkle find out some things. You'll see.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Night 5: October 6** **th** **of sophomore year**

Three knocks.

Maya's eyes widened.

From her spot on the floor, she tries to appear calm. Her best friend looks at her, brown eyes wide and worried. "What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing." The blonde replied. Riley frowned.

"It sounded like a knock." The brunette said, standing up. Riley had gotten a lot more courageous over the years, and it still amazed Maya every single time the tall brunette would act out on her courageous thoughts.

Only tonight, Maya was not amazed.

Weirdly enough, her best friend didn't know about Lucas' visits to her window. How would she tell her? _Riley, do you want to come with me to Demolition after school? Oh, by the way, Lucas slept at my place last night._ She knew it wouldn't go well if her best friend found out. The smaller girl was aware that her friend would make a big deal out of it, and assume that they are in fact sleeping together. They technically were sleeping together, but that's all they were doing: Sleeping.

Maya couldn't get to Riley in time.

The brunette pulled open the blinds, only to see Lucas and Farkle smiling at her. Maya sighed in relief. Seeing Farkle with Lucas made it look a lot less weird.

Riley opened the window and let the boys in, smiling. Maya sat on her bed, smoothing down her faded-out Beatles t-shirt. Farkle noticed the gesture, but didn't comment.

If anyone knew about Lucas and Maya's thing, it was Farkle. The boy was a genius, yes, but not only in school. He was great at reading people and at finding out people's secrets, without them knowing. He knew things about his friends that even they didn't know about themselves.

Farkle also knew when to keep quiet. For example, he knew not to mention the fact that Lucas knew the road to Maya's bedroom window like the back of his hand. He knew not to think anything of the way Lucas was looking at Maya.

But how could he not?

"What are you guys doing here?" Riley asked, smiling at her two friends. Lucas finally looked away from Maya.

"Farkle wanted to pay you guys a visit." Lucas quickly said.

 _Liar._ Farkle thought.

"Only Farkle? You didn't want to see us?" Maya asked, raising her eyebrows at Lucas. A small smile formed on his lips as he gave her a look. A clear look that both Farkle and Riley noticed. It left Riley a bit confused. She wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but the girl had always been oblivious to these kinds of things.

"Of course I wanted to see you, short stack." He said, sitting on her bed, ruffling her hair. She groaned as she tried to push him off, but he only laughed, barely moving from his spot.

Farkle looked at Maya, trying to understand what was going on. His eyes shifted to Lucas, who was looking back at him. Lucas looked really uncomfortable.

 _Good._

"I'm hungry," Lucas started, his eyes wide. He looked at Maya. "You want some snacks? Let's go get some snacks. I could use a snack." He said, getting up and pulling Maya along. The blonde followed the boy, leaving behind her two friends.

"…What's going on?" Riley finally asked. Farkle sat down on the beanbag chair in the corner of his friend's room. Riley sat next to him on the floor, leaning her back against the wall.

"I think they like each other," Farkle started, pausing to give Riley some time to understand. She frowned. "It was Lucas' idea to come here. He knew the way a little too well, if you ask me." He said.

"Oh, but I know that already." She said, the frown disappearing from her face as quickly as it had come. Farkle looked a bit confused. She knew?

"They never get to school at the same time, and Maya never fails to pick me up in the morning. Except when she arrives at school with Lucas. Plus, he has clothes in her bottom drawer." She said.

"And you're okay with it?" Farkle asked, having a hard time understanding how Riley was so calm about the situation.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? I think they could be good for each other." Riley replied, a small smile on her face. Before Farkle could reply, Maya and Lucas came back into the room, empty-handed.

"Farkle and I are going to head out." Riley said, standing up. Farkle followed her movement.

"Alright. Let me get my boots, and we can-" Maya started, before Farkle cut her off.

"No, no, we're good. We have to go finish a project for school." Farkle said. He tugged on his beanie a little, before making his way to the window and slipping out.

"Riles?" Maya asked. The brunette turned around and smiled at her blonde friend, a knowing look on her face. Maya wasn't sure what it meant. Riley nodded at Lucas before slipping out of her best friend's home.

"What was that about?" Maya asked, turning to Lucas.

"I have no idea." Lucas lied. He knew his best friends all too well. He knew that Farkle _knew_ things. What things, he wasn't sure, but his thing with Maya must have been one of those things.

The nod Riley had given him was almost a Riley stamp of approval. He wasn't sure what she was okay with, but he was glad that things weren't awkward anymore between them. She had moved on, and so had he.

"Weirdos." Maya said, shaking her head.

Lucas took off his jacket and threw it on her chair.

"You want to spend the night?" Maya asked him, pulling a piece of licorice from her candy stash in her room. The girl was cold as ice and as dark as they come, but she had a candy stash in her bedroom. He kept telling himself that everyone had a secret that was very unlike them.

He wasn't sure what his was.

Maybe Maya was his secret?

Maybe.

 _Probably._ He thought.

"Why not? And tomorrow, I say we go to the arcade." He said. Maya finished her candy and gasped, sitting next to Lucas.

"You know me so well." She said, a hand over her heart, an adoring look on her face. He leaned towards her.

"And I'm going to pay for you." He added, grinning. The blonde grinned back, her eyes brightening up at the mention of someone wanting to do something for her. She wasn't used to this kind of attention, so when Lucas proposed things like this – or Riley, or Farkle – she would accept. She would never admit it, but she liked the attention.

She got up to shut the light and the window, before making her way back to her bed with her sketchpad and a pencil, only the moonlight illuminating the room.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She shrugged and smiled at the boy before looking down at her pad, and starting her sketch of the night. She glanced out the window every couple of seconds, hoping to get the details right. The smile she had given him was enough to make Lucas happy for days.

She moved to the side so he could lie down in her bed.

A few minutes later, the pad and the pencil were on the ground, and she was lying next to him. As much as she hated to admit it, having Lucas hold her during the nights was one of her favorite things.

But she would never tell him that.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, he leaned down to press his lips against her forehead, like he did a lot more often now.

She liked it.

But she would never tell him that.

For tonight, she decided to pay him back, and she leaned her, planting a kiss on his cheek. It was a good thing it was dark, because the blush creeping onto Lucas' cheeks would have made him look like a total fool.

Oh, how he was a fool for her.

But he would never tell her that.

Would he?

Maybe.

 _Probably._

And that was the fifth night that Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make my day and make me want to write more!**

 **-xx**


	6. Night 6: November 14th of sophomore year

**A/N: This one is a shorty, but you'll see why in the end. Plus, special guest appearance by Joshua Matthews! What could he be up too?**

 **Also, I'm not sure yet about the ending of this story. I'm still deciding on whether I want a happy ending, or a sad ending. We'll see.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Night 6: November 14** **th** **of sophomore year**

So many things were running through Lucas' head as he made his way to Maya's window.

He had had a talk with his best friend Farkle about his feelings for Maya, about everything that was going on between him and her, about how they acted like a couple, but they weren't. It brought on the question that Lucas dreaded: _Do you have feelings for her?_

Did he?

Oh, who was he kidding? He knew he did. But does Maya feel the same way?

Lucas turned onto her street.

Tonight, he was going to tell her about what was going on. He was going to tell her how he felt.

He was a few houses away now.

His heart was beating faster, and he could feel his palms getting sweaty. He wiped his hands on his jeans in a desperate attempt to calm himself down.

Ever since Riley, he hadn't had any feelings for a girl. He felt as if he was better off without having any romantic feelings for anyone, but he hadn't realized that he actually liked someone. And he hadn't realized that that person was Maya.

He went to the side of her house.

She had to know. He had to tell her.

He went to her window and knocked. He immediately noticed that the beautiful blonde seemed nervous when she saw him.

She raced to the window and opened it.

"Lucas, you have to go." She said. Lucas frowned. He hadn't expected her to be like this.

"Why? Is anything wrong?" He asked. She looked at the door, then back at him.

"Nothing is wrong. You just can't be here right now." She told him.

"Can I at least tell you why I'm here?" He asked. She sighed.

"Can't you come back later to tell me?"

Could he?

No.

If he turned around, he knew that she would never know.

"It's important." He said.

Footsteps.

She wasn't alone.

She pushed Lucas away from the window and shut it, giving him a pleading look. He backed away, hiding in the dark to see who was with her.

Maya had already turned around.

The door opened, and Josh stepped inside her room. She smiled at him; a smile that Lucas thought was only reserved to him. It apparently was not.

Josh smiled back at her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

 _No._

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down.

 _No, no, no!_

Their lips connected.

Lucas left.

He couldn't handle the sight of her with another guy, especially not Josh. The worst part of it all was that Josh was his friend. He couldn't be mad at her or him for being together, they hadn't known about Lucas' feelings for Maya.

But still.

How could they?

How could she do this to him?

And that was the sixth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make my day and make me want to write some more!**

 **-xx**


	7. Night 7: February 15th of sophomore year

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the lack of updates on White Pine Camp, but don't worry, the next chapter is half done. I've just been really down lately because one of my best friends is moving away, which explains me writing a lot of angsty stuff. I'm sorry.**

 **But anyways, Lucas knocks on Maya's window, three months later! I hope you enjoy!**

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 **Night 7: February 15** **th** **of sophomore year**

Maya Hart was angry, and when Maya Hart is angry, nothing ends right.

It had been three months since Lucas had visited her. Not only that, but he wouldn't talk to her. There was no more teasing, no more conversations, no questions, only short answers. She would ask him how he was and his only answer was "fine". But Maya Hart wasn't a fool, and she could read Lucas Friar better than he could read himself.

She had tried to talk to Josh about what was going on with Lucas, but her boyfriend simply brushed it off. It bothered her that he didn't care much about her friends, because she knew he wasn't that kind of guy. Maybe he just didn't like Lucas?

Oh, who was she kidding? Everyone who meets Lucas loves Lucas.

Eventually, she had gotten fed up with his little game. She had marched up to Lucas and had demanded that he talk to her. She wanted to know what was wrong. The boy only stared at her, a strange look in his eyes – she could see anger, pain, but mostly; longing.

It made her wonder if she had seen right. A million thoughts were racing through her mind, but mostly, she wanted to know what was wrong with her friend. Farkle wouldn't answer her, and Riley was no help.

When she texted Lucas and told him to come over _immediately._ She had never expected him to show up. So when he did, she stared at him through the window.

Lucas finally knocked on her window, and she snapped out of her thoughts. She opened the window and waited for him to come inside. He didn't.

"What's up?" He asked casually. From the way the two words he had gotten out slurred, she could tell that her friend had been drinking. She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him inside her room.

He chuckled as he held onto her. She could smell the alcohol on his breath.

The blonde sat him on her bed and shut the window. Once she made her way back to him, he put his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead onto her stomach. She frowned and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. She could hear his muffled, drunken words, but she chose to ignore them. She was angry that Lucas had gotten drunk. He was the good one, he was the responsible one. Why did he do it?

He pulled away and smiled at her before pulling her down on his lap. He rested his chin on her shoulder and sighed happily. Maya groaned, not exactly wanting to take care of her drunken friend. She tried telling herself that she was at least spending time with him, but it did not comfort her in any way.

It just made her miss him even more.

She sighed and rested her chin on top of his head. She kissed the top of his head. "Lucas, please tell me what's making you do this…" She begged.

Lucas smiled. His drunken thoughts were clashing, and he wasn't exactly sure where to start. He wasn't sure why he had come to her house, but he felt nice. He felt at home.

When he didn't answer, she looked at him. His eyes were closed, and it seemed like he was struggling internally. She put her hands on his cheeks, turning his head up slightly. He opened his eyes and she saw that look again – the anger, the pain and the longing.

She repeated her demand from earlier.

"You are." He said. She frowned, letting go of him. His arms were tightly around her waist, refusing to let her go. The blonde looked at her ceiling, trying to understand why the hell she was the reason he was like this.

Then, she put the pieces together.

The last time he had visited her was on the night he said he had something important to tell her.

The forehead kisses and the cheek kisses, the marks of affection, the teasing, the important thing to tell her.

He liked her.

But before she could say anything, it was too late.

Lucas grabbed her chin gently and turned her head to him, and he leaned in. Their lips touched, and there was fire.

It wasn't like any kiss she had ever had with Josh, who was her first kiss and her first boyfriend. This kiss was long and pained, and she could tell that Lucas definitely liked her.

She kissed him back.

 _What am I doing?_

Her arms found their way around his neck, bringing him closer.

 _Stop._

The kiss heated up.

 _Stop!_

She quickly pulled away and pushed herself off of him. Lucas fell back onto her bed, a drunken mess. She ran her fingers through her hair and touched her lips. What the hell had just happened? Why did she kiss him back? It was just because she was in the heat of the moment, right? Right. She had a boyfriend; she couldn't do this to him.

Lucas apparently found a way to sit up. He was grinning at her, and all she wanted to do was slap that grin off of his face. She was about to, until she saw the look in his eyes. The anger and the pain were gone, only the longing stood.

Now, she understood.

"You need to go." She said, opening up the window. He nodded and made his way to her window. He turned to her and planted a kiss on her cheek before making his way out.

As soon as he was outside, she shut the window.

She shut the lights and slid under her covers.

For the first time in her life, Maya questioned herself. After an hour of never-ending questions and no answers, she decided to turn her brain off and let herself fall asleep.

And that was the seventh night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: LUCAYA KISS YAY**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **-xx**


	8. Night 8: February 21st of sophomore year

**A/N: Hello! Here's the next chapter to Twenty Nights!**

 **And thank you to everyone who takes the time to review, y'all are awesome!**

 **xx**

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 **Night 8: February 21** **st** **of sophomore year**

The following week, Lucas learned that Maya had broken up with Josh.

Ever since she had kicked him out of her place, things had been different. He knew that his blonde friend was trying to act as if nothing had happened, but whenever they looked at each other, you could practically feel the tension in-between them. Farkle had tried to fix them, he really did, but he failed miserably.

Riley was a bit mad that her best friend had hurt her uncle, especially since she knew how much Maya had wanted to be in a relationship with Josh for so long. The brunette desperately wanted an answer as to why she had broken up with him and Maya would always answer that it just wasn't what she wanted and expected from him.

Lucas needed to know the real reason of her break-up with Josh. He had an idea it had to do with his last visit to her room. He knew that going there drunk could have ended horribly wrong for him, but it was worse than he expected.

That night, he told himself it was fine. He thought he wouldn't remember, or that he would have thought it was a dream. At first, he couldn't piece his night together; did it actually happen, or did he imagine it in his drunken state? Seeing how Maya acted throughout the whole week was enough to tell him that it had actually happened.

He still needed to know.

Which is why, at 4 A.M after no sleep at all for almost 24 hours, he was at her window.

He could see that her bedside table was turned on, and he guessed that the blonde was probably drawing. It seemed that it was all she did, these days. She would barely talk, all she did was draw. When she showed up for class, the only things in her hands were her sketchpad and a couple of pencils. Cory was obviously fed up with her indifferent behavior, but he decided to ignore it – probably because she had hurt his brother.

Maya glanced up from her drawing, feeling someone's eyes on her. She looked at her window and saw Lucas. She jumped a bit and rolled her eyes, reprimanding herself for being scared by _Ranger Rick_.

He knocked.

She got up and stood in front of the window.

Ever since the kiss, everything was confused in her head. She seriously hoped that he didn't remember, but she knew he did. She knew it wouldn't take him long to put the pieces together, even if he was drunk.

Best case scenario: He doesn't remember and tells her he had a weird dream where they kissed. They laugh it off and everything goes back to the way it was.

Worst case scenario: He remembers and wants to talk about it.

She couldn't take the chance.

She didn't want to take the chance.

Maya shook her head at Lucas. He frowned and knocked again.

"Open up!" She heard him say. She shook her head once more. She could see the pain in his eyes, a disappointed look on his face. She tried telling herself she couldn't, but before she could resist, she opened the window to let him in.

He slipped inside her room and threw his jacket off before pulling her into his arms. She hesitated before hugging him back. The moment lasted for a couple of seconds before she heard the words she dreaded the most right now.

"Should we talk about it?" Lucas asked. The blonde shook her head no, and she heard her friend sigh.

Lucas was well-aware that Maya was going to put off the subject for as long as she could, but he still didn't push her. They sat on her bed in silence and she resumed her drawing, while he lied down and closed his eyes. He knew that dawn was almost there. He figured he could try to get some sleep before school.

No such luck.

And that was the eighth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: The kiss will be talked about soon enough, don't worry! Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **-xx**


	9. Night 9: June 30th

**A/N: Wee woo another chapter! I'm sorry it took me longer to update, I've been obsessed with reading tiramisuspice's fanfictions, and y'all should definitely go check out her stories, but especially _Wild Wild West_. It's truly amazing, and it's one of the best stories I've ever read.**

 **Also, go check out my new story _Coffee-Stained Paper_. It's an AU Lucaya one-shot. **

**Enjoy!**

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 **Night 9: June 30** **th**

Lucas was at her window. He wasn't sure why he came and what he had to expect. The boy hadn't visited her in months, except for a project they had to work on with Farkle and Riley. He had manifested many times his desire to talk about the kiss, but she had never agreed. He then decided to let it go. Lucas knew that once Maya set her mind on something, there was no changing. If she wanted to play games with him, he was going to play that game with her.

But he was one of the good guys.

He knew his conscience would eventually get the best of him, but for now, he felt that pushing that uneasy feeling aside was the best solution. Otherwise, he knew he wouldn't be able to do it.

He knocked.

Maya turned around quickly, her long ponytail almost smacking her in the face. She rolled her eyes at him and got up, leaving her sketchbook on her desk.

The blonde opened the window, inviting Lucas inside.

"What's up, Ranger Rick?" She asked, making her way to her chair and sitting back down, grabbing her sketchbook.

"If I tell you, will you sit on it?" He asked, grinning. He sat on her bed. She laughed.

As soon as he heard her laugh, he knew he would have a lot of trouble with this little game.

"That is probably the worst pick-up line I have ever heard."

"Yeah…" He said sheepishly. "I'm not exactly good at those. Farkle told me to use it." Lucas explained. Maya shook her head and looked at Lucas, a small smirk on her face.

"And you listened to Farkle? The guy who's never had a girlfriend?" She asked. He didn't answer.

Maya chuckled and turned back to her drawing.

Well, this isn't going exactly as he had planned.

Lucas lied down on her bed, kicking off his shoes. He looked up at the ceiling, getting lost in the drawings Maya had somehow taped to the ceiling. It looked like a big mess, but he enjoyed how comforting it was. He had once asked her why she had put them up there, and she had shrugged in response.

Many of his favorite drawings were there; he recognized them because she had asked each of her friends to pick out three that they liked. He had picked one with him and Farkle, another one was of a bird flying away, losing its feathers, and the last one was of the night-sky. He remembered picking that on the night she had announced what she wanted to do with her ceiling. Maya was drawing the sky from the fire escape outside Riley's room, and the three weren't sure how she would do it, but knowing their friend, they knew she would find a way. And she did.

Lucas got up quietly, curiosity taking over him. He made his way to Maya and looked over her shoulder to see the drawing. His eyes widened.

"Y-You-" He stuttered, stopping himself. She looked up and shut her sketchbook, her eyes wide but it was too late. He had seen the drawing.

It was a ballpoint pen drawing – just like it always was when she worked on something she deemed important. It was as if someone had snapped a picture of her room. The details were so precise, from the small details on the side of her pillows to the empty coffee mug next to her bed, to the opened window, to the curve of the two bodies in her bed. Their legs were tangled together, a mess of legs and bedsheets. His arms were wrapped around her protectively and his head was resting on top of hers, eyes closed. But it wasn't the way she had drawn her room that struck him – it was the fact that he was in it with her.

"You weren't supposed to see that." She pointed out, putting her sketchbook back on desk. Lucas was staring at the blonde, unable to form a coherent thought to speak out. Maya rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight.

"You…" He started, sitting on her bed. She stood in front of him. "You drew us?" He asked. The blonde nodded, unsure if it was a bad thing or a good thing.

It seemed that ever since the kiss, all she could think about was Lucas. How he had kissed her, how she had kissed back, how _right_ it had felt. All she wanted was to be in his arms, but they couldn't.

From the moment Lucas had arrived in their lives, he was labeled as _Riley's._ Not as anyone else's. For most of her teenage years, she had focused on getting them together. She had focused on their happiness, and she didn't feel as if she deserved to be happy with Lucas.

Maya wasn't an idiot; she could easily tell that Lucas had feelings for her. She could read the boy like a book. Farkle also helped, trying to convince her almost every single day that they would be good for each other. But the simple thought of being Lucas would frighten her enough that she would snap at him and push him away.

She didn't want to do that anymore.

She didn't want to be _afraid_ anymore.

So when he pulled her into his lap, she didn't resist.

When he leaned in, she did too.

When their lips connected, she gave in.

And that was the ninth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **xx**


	10. Night 10:September 10th of junior year

**A/N: Sososososo sorry for the time it took to update. I just started college and I'm overwhelmed with all the changes, blah blah. Y'all don't wanna hear about that. Anyways, the 10th chapter is here, yay! It's a shorty, but I plan on making the next one longer. You'll see. I'm sorry, I feel like you guys waited so long and I give you this. Ugh. But at least it's an update, and it's the calm before the storm. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **Night 10: September 10** **th** **of junior year**

The whole summer went by so fast.

Maya would spend most of her days with Lucas, and when they didn't see each other, they would find time to Skype. When Lucas went away to Texas for two weeks, Maya felt as if he was right there, in her room with her. Before going to bed, she would call him and he would answer even if he only planned on going to bed an hour later because of the time zones. They would Skype until she fell asleep, and Lucas felt like he was the luckiest man alive.

Except for one thing.

They weren't official.

Yet.

Lucas had noticed that every time Maya would talk about their relationship, she never called him her boyfriend. The blonde would use any and every word she would think off, mostly complementing them with "my". My Huckleberry, my Ranger Rick, my Sundance. Anything _but_ "my boyfriend". Lucas didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but he felt like it was pretty clear that they were dating. They held hands, kissed, made out, cuddled and he took her out on dates. Maybe it wasn't clear enough for her.

So he decided to do something about their "understanding".

He knocked on her window.

Maya walked to her window, knowing very well who stood outside. There was only one person in the whole wide world that would do this: Lucas.

The blonde lifted up her window, letting the boy in. They shared a quick kiss before Maya noticed the serious look on Lucas' face.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

Was he? He wasn't sure. For the third time in his life, Lucas Friar didn't feel _okay._ The first time was back when his father made sure he couldn't go back to Texas for the week-ends anymore. The second time was after his break-up with Riley. And the third time was right now, and he could feel the stupid feeling that made him so uneasy come back up and grow.

He wasn't okay. He wasn't okay at all.

The girl he had called his girlfriend for almost three months now couldn't call him her boyfriend. He had always known that Maya had some trouble with commitment because of her fear of being left. It had taken her two years to finally call Shawn her father, and he knew it had taken her years to call Riley her best friend. The brunette, on the other side, had claimed the brunette as her best friend after only a month of friendship.

"Why don't you call me your boyfriend?" He finally asked. Maya blinked at him.

She tried to bring up a time where she had called him her boyfriend, but she couldn't remember. All she could think about was to find an answer to his question. Why?

Well, it was quite simple.

"You never asked me out." Maya answered matter-of-factly. Lucas stared at the petite blonde in front of him. His expression was mixed, and she couldn't figure out if he was either mad or sad. So when he started laughing, she looked at him, perplexed.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" She asked, a small smile tugging at her lips. Maya was trying to look angry, but she couldn't help herself. Lucas' laugh was one of her most favorite things in the whole world.

Lucas collected himself before answering. "Maya, you could have just told me that this was bothering you," He started on a more serious note. "I like you. And if we want this relationship to work, we're going to have to communicate."

The blonde nodded up at him. Somehow, they were back in each other's arms, their voices now as low as a whisper.

"Maya Penelope Hart," He started, grinning. "Will you go out with me?" He asked. She rolled her eyes at his cheesiness, fighting hard not to slap his arm for saying her middle name.

"Yes, Ranger Rick."

"Yes to what?"

"Don't make me say it."

"Say it!" He said, an amused look on his face. She groaned.

"Yes, I will go out with you."

"There it is!" He exclaimed and pulled her in for a kiss.

As much as she would hate to admit it, Lucas Friar could make her knees go weak in a matter of seconds.

And that was the tenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more!**

 **-xx**


	11. Night 11: December 21st of junior year

**A/N: Okay, I lied. This chapter is the calm before the storm. I am so sorry for the cheesiness of this chapter. I just saw this really cute couple and I got really inspired because they really reminded me of Lucaya, so don't question THE CHEESINESS IN THIS CHAPTER. I don't really like fluff, but I have those days where I really like to write some.**

 **Also, OH MY LUCAYA. WE HAVE REACHED 110 REVIEWS, 132 FOLLOWERS AND 78 FAVORITES. I am so excited! Thank you all so much for the support, I never expected this story to reach out to this many people. A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites, you guys make my days. 3 A very special thank you to all of those who take the time to review, you are da ! I love you all!**

 **This is kind of a filler chapter, because I need some happy days. I think we all do. I hope you'll enjoy!**

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 **Night 11: December 21st of junior year**

The usual three knocks on her window made Maya want to squeal with excitement. She didn't really care anymore what anyone thought, because Lucas was her boyfriend and she could get excited about seeing him if she wanted to.

Their relationship was going great. Riley had been very excited to hear about Maya "finally finding love", and as for Farkle, he was happy that she was happy. He had then gone on to deliver a speech on how he knew that Lucas would eventually ask the other one out. The new couple had been happy to know that their two best friends were happy for them. Maya had always had some concerns about the whole two-friends-dating-in-the-group thing, but she couldn't care less now. She was happy.

She opened her window and leaned over to kiss her boyfriend, who was waiting patiently outside her window. When she pulled away, Lucas smiled at her and slid in her room, his arms quickly snaking their way around her waist. Her arms found their way around his neck.

Lucas knew that Maya wasn't exactly the kind to be sappy or cheesy, but he enjoyed seeing this side of her. Rare were the days where Maya Hart truly smiled, so when she would get excited at the sight of him, he would let her be that way. As much as he enjoyed her tormenting him and the little games, he loved this side of Maya. He loved how every single _good_ emotion could be seen in her eyes. He loved that even that look in her eyes wasn't given to Josh, but only to him. He loved how happy he made her, and how happy she made him.

Call him a love-sick puppy, or whatever you want. Lucas couldn't care less as long as the blonde beauty was in his arms.

After their hellos, they moved to the routine they had developed through the times they would hang out in her or his room. She sat on her bed as she drew, and he sat on the floor, his back leaning against the side of the bed as he did his homework. Maya even had a sketchpad in Lucas' room, which he had given her on their two months anniversary (Even after her multiple protests mentioning that she _didn't_ want any gifts). She had gotten him nothing, but he didn't care. The look on her face when he said that it was for his place so she didn't have to bring hers anymore was a gift on its own.

Maya would draw most of the night, or at least until Lucas finished his homework. He would then lie next to her and would play with a piece of her hair until she finished her drawing, or he would play games on his phone. It didn't really matter to him (or her), because they were together. Words weren't always needed, and that was just fine for the two of them.

This relationship was nothing compared to their previous ones. Maya felt as if Josh only wanted to talk and make out, which was fine in the beginning. But eventually, she had gotten tired of kissing him. How horrible did that sound? She was tired of kissing her own boyfriend. She couldn't help but feel bored whenever she was in his presence. As for Lucas, he loved talking to Riley. She was a great listener and loved to know more, but she could get a little pushy whenever she felt like she needed to know something. In a way, he was glad that Riley had ended things with him, because if she hadn't, he wouldn't have gone to Maya for comfort and nothing of what was happening right now would be happening.

Maya finally put down her drawing at around eleven, yawning. She lied next to Lucas and he wrapped his arms around her small frame, planting a kiss on her forehead. It was night like these that made her feel the most at peace with herself, and she wouldn't change a thing.

And that was the eleventh night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

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 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little fluffy chapter! Leave a review, a favorite and/or a follow and make me the happiest writer in the world!**

 **-xx**


	12. Night 12: January 30th of junior year

**A/N: Ahhhhhh y'all are going to hate me after this chapter. Don't kill me please?**

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 **Night 12: January 30** **th** **of junior year**

It had been days since Lucas had seen Maya.

She had texted him twice in a week, and she was nowhere to be seen at school. His two friends were both confused as to where Maya was and why she wasn't around. Their blonde friend had been doing great in school, getting rather unusually high results. They had assumed it was because of her new tutor. Riley figured that it probably wasn't because of her school results that Maya had been missing from school, unlike the last time.

The three searched everywhere for her: the art center, the museum, the arcade, Topanga's, and all of her other favorite places to be. They had been to her house every night asking where she was, and Katy's answer was always the same – Maya was out with her tutor, studying.

Lucas didn't understand. He knew Maya hated studying more than she hated anything else, so why would she suddenly focus on her studies? Why would she suddenly cut off all contact with all of her friends? He needed to know.

These questions kept him up at night. So he decided to get some answers.

He stood outside her window at 2 AM, his arms wrapped around himself, trying to keep himself warm. Lucas knocked his usual three knocks and the window opened. He quickly slid inside her room, shutting the window behind him. Contrary to the other nights Lucas spent at her house, all the lights were shut. His girlfriend didn't bother to greet him with a kiss: instead, she sat on her bed and brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. Lucas frowned at her behavior as he took off his coat and boots. He could easily tell that something was wrong.

"Maya?" He asked tentatively, sitting on her bed. He went to put his hand on her shoulder, but she pushed away.

"I don't think you should be here." The blonde said.

"Why not? You haven't been to school all week. You haven't texted me, nor Riley, nor Farkle, and we're all worried. You won't even return my calls, your mother has been lying to us all week instead of telling us where you are, and we want to know what's wrong with you. We want to help." Lucas said. Maya looked away, an unreadable expression on her face. The boy turned to her, sitting crossed-legged on her bed, trying to hold one of her hands. She pushed him away once more.

"Maya…" He started on a softer tone. "Please tell me what's wrong." He demanded.

No answer.

"You're really worrying me."

No answer.

"No matter what the problem is, we can all help you. I can help you."

"You really can't." Maya replied quietly.

"Of course I can. It doesn't matter what happened, I'll always be here for you." He said. She finally looked at him.

"No. You won't. You'll leave like everyone else did." The blonde said.

How could she say a thing like that? She knew him better than that. She should know that Lucas would never, _ever_ do a thing like that. He knew how much she feared being left, how much just the thought of being left hurt her. He was her boyfriend. Her best friend. How could she believe something like that?

"I promise you that I won't." Lucas said, hoping to reassure her. The blonde shook her head, mentioning that he shouldn't make promises he didn't intend to keep, looking away from him once more.

"Maya. Please." He begged. Her blue eyes found his green ones, blank eyes meeting his worried ones. The last time he had seen that blank look in her eyes was when she thought she would lose Riley.

"Josh is my tutor." She said.

"And?"

"And on Saturday, we kissed."

Silence fell over the room.

Anger took over Lucas. He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand. All he wanted to do was punch Josh in the face for kissing his girlfriend.

He got up, not looking at Maya.

"You were right," He started, his voice dangerously low, anger clouding his thoughts. "People shouldn't make promises they don't intend to keep."

She had promised him. Two people in a relationship shouldn't cheat, being in a relationship meant not being with anyone else.

He couldn't believe it.

"L-Lucas, wait…" Maya tried, but it was too late. Lucas had already put on his boots and his coat, slipping out into the cold night, leaving her window wide open and her heart broken in a thousand little pieces.

That was the twelfth night Lucas Friar knocked on Maya Hart's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more!**

 **xx**


	13. Night 13: May 3rd of junior year

**A/N: Okay, so a lot of you are angry because of what happened. I would like to remind you that even though it is pretty frustrating, this is a Lucaya story. It will end well for them, this is the whole point of this story! And thank you to all of you who made me laugh with your reviews and still said nice things. Here's an update for all of you.**

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 **Night 13: May 3** **rd** **of junior year**

"I'm sorry Lucas didn't make it to your party. I really tried to get him to come." Riley shouted, leaning closer to Maya. The music was playing loud, and another shitty pop song that Maya hated came on. The blonde looked over at the dance floor – her living room – her eyes searching for her ex-boyfriend. Instead, she found the eyes of her other best friend, and as soon as eye contact was made, he started to make his way to the two girls.

"It's fine," Maya started, looking at Riley. "I wasn't expecting him to show up, anyways."

"Oh, Peaches…" Riley started, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. Maya sighed. Truth was, she missed Lucas. She would never tell Riley or Farkle, but Lucas had always had a way of making her feel special. Like she mattered.

She hadn't spoken to Lucas since their break-up. In the beginning, he wouldn't even look at her. As time went by, Lucas seemed even more distant and cold. They would have very short conversations, greetings and questions about homework at the most. Lunches were spent with Riley and Farkle trying to get their friends to join the conversation, but nothing could force them to talk to each other.

Farkle finally reached Maya and Riley, his red cup empty in his hand. Maya could tell that Farkle had definitely been drinking for a while, but contrary to Lucas, he could handle his alcohol.

"Ladies." Farkle greeted, a small smile on his face. His arm snaked around Maya's waist and pulled her closer, hugging her. She didn't bother to hug him back.

Her friend stepped away, sighing. Ever since the break-up, things had been so different.

"Maya, maybe you should go to your room, get some rest. Honestly, you look like crap." Farkle stated. Maya rolled her eyes.

"He's right," Riley started. "We can supervise the party. Make sure everything stays in order. You should go get some sleep."

Not feeling like arguing with her friends, Maya handed her red cup to Riley, who put it down on the coffee table. Riley had never been one for alcohol, finding the taste too bitter. She preferred drinking some soda, so whenever Maya had a party, she made sure to have some soda for Riley in her fridge.

The blonde made her way through the many people who were dancing, leaving her two friends behind. She made her way to the hallway and into her room, shutting off the lights immediately.

Since the break-up, Maya didn't feel the same.

All she wanted was to be with Lucas again.

The worst part is it wouldn't have bothered her if they had broken up and remained friends. She loved being friends with Lucas. She also loved being his girlfriend, but their friendship was what truly mattered to her. The fact that he would barely glance at her made her want to rip her own hair out. She was so angry at him for abandoning her completely, but she couldn't blame him. It was her fault for kissing Josh.

Kissing Josh was probably the dumbest thing she had ever done – and that means a lot, especially coming from her. She had done a lot of dumb shit in her life, but that one took the cake.

Maya changed out of her clothes to her pajamas, slipping one of Lucas' shirts that he had left her over her head. It didn't smell like his cologne anymore, but it still comforted her to wear it.

She remembers it was on a Saturday. They had just finished doing her homework, and she asked if he wanted to go eat out as her treat, wanting to pay him back for his tutoring sessions. They had gone to the Nighthawk Diner, since it was opened that late at night. After lunch, the pair had made their way back to Maya's place, Josh insisting on walking her home after her multiple protests. She had finally caved in and he walked into her apartment building with her, wanting to make sure she would get to her apartment safely. Once they were outside her door, Maya had said that she had had fun. Josh smiled down at her, saying he also had fun. The second Maya looked at him, she knew she had stepped into a trap.

He had kissed her against the wall, and she had kissed back.

But she didn't like Josh. Not anymore.

It was Lucas she wanted.

"Maya?"

She jumped. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the knocks on her window. She pinched her arm, trying to understand if she had heard right. It wasn't Riley's or Farkle's voice. It was _Lucas'._

"Lucas?" She asked, moving closer to him. What was he doing here? He had made it pretty clear that he didn't want anything to do with her.

He hesitated before saying anything. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" He asked.

"Of course not… But why?" She asked. The blonde moved even closer, her eyes searching for an answer in Lucas' seafoam eyes. She saw so many things she hadn't seen in a while in his eyes: distress, hurt, worry, and so much more.

"Nightmares." He simply said, taking off his shoes. Maya could tell that Lucas didn't want to speak about it, but she didn't care. She remembered a few years back, when Lucas had snuck into her room because of his night terrors. He had assured her a while after that they had stopped, but they had apparently come back.

Lucas took off his shirt, making his way to her bed. Seeing him act as if everything was the same made her heart beat faster. She watched him lie on her bed, and she hesitated before doing anything. Was she supposed to join him?

She decided against it, pulling out the mattress she kept under her bed for when Farkle or Riley spent the night and didn't feel like sleeping with her in her bed.

"What are you doing?" Lucas asked. Maya pulled out some sheets from her closet.

"Setting up my bed for the night."

"I can sleep on the mattress instead…" He proposed. The blonde shook her head and grabbed a pillow from her bed after finishing prepping the mattress. She lay on the mattress as Lucas sighed, and she couldn't help but wonder how terrifying his nightmare could have been for him to come to her for comfort. She thought he hated her.

Lucas couldn't stop shifting his position in the bed. He was comfortable for a second before he felt like he had to move again.

An hour later of Lucas making noise while shifting, Maya groaned and grabbed his hand. She intertwined her fingers with his and he immediately felt comfort take over him.

"Calm down. You're okay. You're safe." She reassured him.

He repeated her words in his head, taking a deep breath. He didn't let go of Maya's hand, feeling the need to hold her in _some way_ to feel safe. And that was enough for now.

And that was the thirteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **xx**


	14. Author's Note

**A/N: This chapter is not an update, but I needed to post this in order to reply to "Jaela", an anonymous reviewer. I felt like all of you should read this, not just for me, but for other writers. You see, Jaela asked if she could use my story on her tumblr blog, and I felt flattered. I didn't know how she would use it or why, but I was so flattered that I wanted to say yes!**

 **She left her tumblr blog in her review, and my curiosity got the best of me (as always) and I went on her blog. Turns out she had been using some of my chapters as hers to enter in contests (as her application story) and to just post at random. Now I thought "Oh. Well, maybe she gave me some credit." **

**But she didn't.**

 **By taking an author's story and making it your own, you are stealing what they worked on for hours and taking all of the credit. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but it sucks to feel that way. It sucks to see your story get praised, but not to you.**

 **So no, Jaela. I will not allow you to use my story for your blog, and I would like for you to remove the posts where you copied my story unless you go back and edit them and give _snowdrifts on_ credit for HER OWN STORY.**

 **Thank you, y'all have a good day, now.**

 **xx**

 **-Snow**


	15. Night 14: August 13th

**A/N: Wow! Daily update! Don't get used to it. ;) I just get really excited whenever I get to the end of a story (when I'm reading one), and I guess I get the same way whenever I write one! I'm now realizing that there is only 6 nights left to go and I'm like: Well. Shit. I can't believe it's almost over!**

 **Now, idgaf if you guys don't ship them, but I've included a little bit of Riarkle in it for you (but mostly for me!). I apparently cannot write a Lucaya story without some Riarkle in it!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 14: August 13th**

Three knocks.

Lucas didn't know what to think of Maya's texts. They were talking again; it seemed easier now that they didn't see each other every day. Things were slowly going back to normal for their little gang, and Lucas couldn't be gladder. His life seemed a little darker without Maya, and he knew exactly why.

He still wanted to be with her.

So when she had texted him (well, group-texted him, Riley and Farkle), asking them if they wanted to help paint her room, he accepted. He missed her.

Lucas had hoped that the other two would refuse her offer and that they would be alone, but of course, his two friends said yes.

When Farkle opened the window, he wasn't surprised. Of course his friend was there before him. He knew he should have come sooner to have some alone time with Maya, but his mother had insisted he ate dinner _and_ dessert over at their house before doing some "tough work" at Maya's place. He wasn't that hungry and he tried to get up from the table on multiple occasions, but his mother just wouldn't take it.

"Hey, freak!" Farkle greeted. Lucas was about to greet him back until Riley did something highly unusual.

She slapped Farkle's ass.

The boy turned around and started running after the brunette, yelling things like "I'll get you back!" and "You have no idea what you've just started". Riley ran out of the room, giggling.

Lucas stared confusedly at Maya's bedroom door before slipping inside her room, and Maya chuckled as she took out some paintbrushes from their wrappings.

"They've been getting pretty physical, lately." Maya grinned. Lucas smiled and nodded, understanding. It had been a while since Riley and Farkle were caught on video making out during Maya's end of the year party, and neither of them wanted to speak about it. Turns out their relationship had improved a lot since the last time Lucas saw both of them together, when they would just glance at each other and blush whenever they caught the other's eye.

"It's about time." Lucas said, sitting on the floor and opening the gallon of paint.

"I know, right? They're not dating yet, sadly. But I'm hoping that tonight will fix that." Maya said, looking over her shoulder as the duo came back into her room, both out of breath and laughing.

"C'mon, lovebirds!" The blonde said, turning to Lucas and handing him a brush. "It's time to start working."

Lucas took the paintbrush he was handed, his fingers brushing against Maya's. He looked up at her, and he could feel a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He removed his hand quickly and stood up, clearing his throat. Riley seemed to pick up on what was happening and she chuckled.

The blonde was quick to glare at her best friend.

The night went by fast, and three hours later, they were done. Maya was satisfied with all of their work and sent her friends home. Riley and Farkle left together, Cory picking them up shortly after Riley called. Lucas could finally have his alone time with Maya.

"Maya? Do you mind if I sleep over?" Lucas asked. Maya shook her head no, taking her hair out of the ponytail she had put them in. She finger-combed her tangled hair, not bothering to look over at Lucas.

In all honesty, she loved having Lucas to sleep over. All she wanted to do was spend time with him, so she didn't exactly felt the need to know why he wanted to stay. It felt like every night he slept over, they got closer.

She wanted him in her life in any way possible, and him asking her to stay over just opened another door for them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Maya asked, getting up to turn off the light. She hit the light switch and the room was plunged into darkness, with only the pale light of the moon as their nightlight.

"Of course." Lucas said, taking his shirt off. It felt so easy to go back to their old routine.

He turned to the window as Maya changed from her paint-stained clothes into her pajamas. She slid on her favorite Beatles t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts, sitting on her bed. Lucas sat next to her.

"Do you hate me?" She finally asked. Lucas stared at her blankly. How could he hate her? She was Maya. Even if she did some wrong, even if it wasn't right for her to kiss Josh, even if he wanted to stay mad at her forever, he just couldn't _hate_ her. His feelings for her were way too strong for him to ever feel that way towards her.

He snapped out of his thoughts and finally looked into Maya's sapphire eyes, searching for an answer that wouldn't make him sound like he was still a fool for her.

"Maya, I could never hate you." He simply said. The blonde smiled and lunged herself into his arms. His eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her to show how she felt. He finally hugged her back when she wouldn't let go after a couple of seconds, resting his head on top of hers.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, until he felt her body shake with sobs.

He pushed her away gently and took her chin into her hand when she tried to look away. "Hey, hey… What's wrong?" He asked.

"I-I'm just so relieved." She said, sniffling. "I thought you hated me." Maya replied honestly. Lucas sighed and wiped away her tears with his thumb. He could tell that the blonde wouldn't change her answer, even though her eyes told him that there was much more to it than just that.

The pair lied on her bed, and Lucas wrapped his arms around the blonde. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, just like she used to. Things were slowly going back to how they were, and Lucas could feel their relationship changing. As long as he would have her by her side, he would be fine.

That was the fourteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for reading, and don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **xx**

 **-Snow**


	16. Night 15: October 14th of senior year

**A/N: Guys. We're almost at 200 reviews. The response for this story is amazing. You guys are amazing! Sorry it took a little while to update, I've been working on my first long-shot (I'm guessing it will be around 12K words), and I've been really inspired to write it lately. Also, I wrote a one-shot called "Waiting for a friend" if you're interested in reading more of my works. It's very dark, very sad, and it's very different.**

 **Little note for this chapter, when Lucas is texting, his texts are in _italics_. When Maya is texting, her texts are  underlined.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 15: October 14th of senior year**

 _To: Shortstack_

 _10/10_

 _Did you still want me to come over to work on the project, tonight? (3:13 PM)_

To: Huckleberry

10/10

Not tonight. I've got a date. (3:30 PM)

 _To: Shortstack_

 _11/10_

 _Are we working on the project tonight? (2:57 PM)_

To: Huckleberry

11/10

Second date. (3:18 PM)

 _To: Shortstack_

 _12/10_

 _Do you have a third date with that d-bag or can we finally work on our project? (1:45 PM)_

To: Huckleberry

12/10

He's not a d-bag, and I'm going to Riley's tonight. (4:41 PM)

 _To: Shortstack_

 _12/10_

 _He's the biggest d-bag I know. (4:43 PM)_

To: Huckleberry

12/10

Then you don't know him at all. (4:44 PM)

* * *

Lucas knew very well that Maya was doing her best to avoid him. He also knew that she was going on dates with Charlie just to get him jealous, not because she actually wanted to. Farkle had told him so, and he wanted to believe his best friend for two reasons: One - Farkle wouldn't tell him that just for the hell of it and two - Lucas knew that Charlie was _not_ Maya's type.

He firmly believed that she just wanted to make him jealous.

He needed to know.

It felt like tonight, his usual three knocks on her window were stressing him out. His heart was racing, his palms were sweaty, and he felt nervous. A little too nervous.

When she didn't open, he slid his fingers inside the small opening she would always leave, and he lifted up the window. Once it locked into place, he slid into her dark room and sat on her bed like he would whenever she wasn't there yet. He would wait.

Being in her room alone reminded him of before. When things were easier. He didn't have feelings for her, she didn't have feelings for him and they were just two friends comforting each other. But Lucas knew that that was just a load of bullshit. He suspects that he had liked her even back then, even if he was with Riley, even if he thought they were just friends. His feelings for Maya were the same as before, except that they grew more and more each and every day. Call him a sap all you want, but it was true. He knew he had very strong feelings for the blonde and that he had had them for a while.

The only problem was that he wasn't sure if he could forgive her for what she had done. He knew that she probably never meant to kiss Josh, but it still hurt. He wasn't mad because she had kissed him, he was mad because she had gone M.I.A for a whole week instead of talking to him immediately about it. If the kiss had meant nothing, she would have brushed it off. She wouldn't have gone out of her way to hide it from him.

The light switched on, and he heard a small scream escape Maya's mouth. Lucas turned to her, snapping out of his thoughts, eyes wide.

"What the fuck?!" She yelled out, running her fingers through her hair to calm herself. "You scared me!" She exclaimed, trying to glare at him. Lucas chuckled and he could easily tell that Maya wasn't actually mad. A small smile tugged at her lips and she turned around.

"It's not funny." She said, clearing her throat. Lucas smiled at her. The blonde turned back to him, hands on her hips, her smile faded quickly. "What are you doing here?" She asked in a more serious tone.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

 _Us._ "Our school project."

"Lucas," Maya started, sighing. "We can work on it tomorrow. I'm tired."

"But it's due tomorrow." Lucas tried to reason.

"We can ask for an extension! Mrs. Rutherford loves me."

"We're going to lose points!"

"Fine!" The blonde groaned. Lucas smiled in victory. Lucas: 1, Maya: 0. "Where are the things for the project?" Maya asked. Lucas wanted to slap himself so bad.

Lucas: 1, Maya: 1.

"You forgot to bring them."

"Hey. My mind is preoccupied!" Lucas said.

"By what?"

 _You._ Lucas stayed quiet. Maya rolled her eyes, obviously too tired to argue any longer. She grabbed an over-sized t-shirt and a pair of cotton shorts and made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"You can sleep over. When we wake up, you can buy me breakfast and we'll go get your stuff for the project." Maya said through the door.

"We have school tomorrow."

"They won't miss us for one or two periods." Maya said, stepping out of the bathroom, smiling. Lucas rolled his eyes at her comment. It was a very Maya-like thing to do, and as much as Lucas hated to admit it, he would do anything to hang out with her. She would never be around, whether it was to hang out or to eat lunch. He wanted to see her more.

God, how he wished he could kiss her right now.

"Earth to Huckleberry." Maya said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. He realized he was staring, and he looked away quickly. The blonde lied on her bed, closing her eyes.

Lucas hesitated. He wanted to ask about Charlie, but he didn't want to seem jealous.

He decided against it.

"Why am I buying you breakfast, again? Who decided that?" Lucas asked, lying next to her.

"I did, and because you love me." Maya grinned. Quickly realizing what she had said, her eyes widened and she stared at the ceiling. An awkward silence filled the room.

A few minutes of silence later, Lucas turned away from her. The two stayed awake most of the night, not talking, just listening to the other breathe, lost in their own thoughts.

And that was the fifteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write some more!**

 **xx**

 **-Snow**


	17. Night 16: November 21st of senior year

**A/N: Welcome back! We're officially four chapters away from the end! O_O**

 **I was wondering if you guys would be okay if I did a time jump for the twentieth night, or if you all wanted me to do an epilogue after the twentieth night. I started a poll on my profile where you guys can vote!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 16: November 21** **st** **of senior year.**

Today was Maya's one month anniversary with Charlie.

She was well-aware that he had tried to force himself on her back in their freshman year, but he had changed a lot. For the past two years, Charlie Gardener had made himself scarce from the dating world. Maya vaguely remembers him dating Sarah – one of the nicest girls in school. They dated for about a year before they broke up for unknown reasons. Maya could tell that Sarah had changed Charlie, and even though she hated to think about it, she couldn't help but think that Charlie was still in love with Sarah.

Maya had had the time to speak with Sarah on multiple occasions – mostly when they were paired up for projects, but she knew she could consider Sarah her friend. The brunette had recently confided to her that she still had feelings for Charlie. Sarah wasn't aware at that time that Maya was dating her ex, but from then, Maya had tried everything to get Charlie to confess his feelings for Sarah, but nothing ever worked.

"Hey, beautiful." He had said to her. Maya turned to him, sitting on her bed, obviously not ready for their date and looking anything but beautiful. She couldn't help but smile. As nice as Charlie was, she didn't want her relationship to be a lie.

"Hi. We need to talk." The blonde said to her boyfriend. He nodded and sat next to her. She saw the hurt travelling to his eyes, his mind piecing together what was inevitable. She was going to break up with him.

"You're an amazing guy, Charlie. You're sweet, you handle my outbursts surprisingly well-"

"That's because I care about you."

"But not as much as you care for Sarah."

Charlie stared at Maya, knowing that she was right. He just didn't want to admit it.

The two had spoken for a while after that before Maya finally convinced him to go to Sarah. She had kissed his cheek and he had smiled at her before leaving.

The blonde sat on her bed before grabbing her phone and texting the one person she knew would show up as soon as he got her message.

Fifteen minutes later, she heard his usual three knocks on her window.

Five minutes later, they were lying on her bed, his arms wrapped around her and her ear pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat so she could calm herself.

"I broke up with Charlie." Maya said.

"Why? I thought you really liked him." Lucas said. The blonde sighed. She hated to admit it, but she did. She loved spending time with Charlie. He knew how to make her laugh, how to make her smile, how to make her feel like she mattered to someone. Only three other people made her feel that way; Riley, Farkle and Lucas. But she didn't want to think about Lucas right now. Maybe inviting him over wasn't the best move, maybe she should have called Riley or Farkle, but she knew that the two were probably too busy doing God-knows-what. She would rather not think about it.

"I did. But he was still in love with Sarah. And Sarah was still in love with him. Seemed like the right thing to do." Maya replied, looking up at Lucas. His eyes were closed, and she had the urge to kiss him.

But she didn't.

She laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about Lucas. She couldn't ruin their friendship, not again. The months that had gone by without them talking were horrible.

They couldn't. Not again.

"Can you stay with me tonight? I don't really want to be alone."

"Of course." He said. He kissed the top of her head out of habit, and Maya sighed. That didn't help her thoughts calm down.

She heard his breathing slow down and steady itself. He had fallen asleep. Maya tried to follow him into dream world, but she couldn't fall asleep. She spent the rest of the night tossing and turning on her side of the bed, her thoughts never quieting down to let her sleep.

And that was the sixteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Maya is not ready to give in to her feelings for Lucas! We'll explore that in the next chapters. ;) Don't forget to leave a review, they make my day and make me want to write some more! 3**

 **-xx**


	18. Night 17: March 28th of senior year

**A/N: WE REACHED 200 REVIEWS OH MY GOD.**

 **Thank you to all of you who take the time to review, you're all amazing, and I love you so much!**

 **Since we hit 200 reviews, here's a fun fact! Twenty Nights wasn't even supposed to be a multi-chapter story at first. It was supposed to be a one-shot of Lucas knocking on Maya's window for ONE NIGHT. But I loved the idea so much that I turned it into a twenty-chapter story. Woo!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 17: March 28** **th** **of senior year**

It was during her slumber party with Maya that Riley decided she had had enough of all the crap going on between her two best friends. She was so tired of hearing her two friends speak about the other but never to each other about their feelings, she just wanted to punch them both. And Riley Matthews wasn't the violent one, but if her two best friends wouldn't shut up, she felt like she would probably explode.

Which is why when Maya started talking about Lucas, Riley stood up.

"Where are you going?" Maya asked, frowning.

"I'm not coming back here until you speak to Lucas. I will be in the kitchen, eating pancakes with your mother." Riley said, turning around and letting her hair whip before marching out of her blonde friend's room. Maya rolled her eyes; Riley loved doing those dramatic exits. She knew her best friend wouldn't last very long and would crawl back to her in moments.

An hour and a half later, Riley still hadn't come back. Maya wanted to go check on her, she really did, but she couldn't leave her room to let the brunette win. So she called the only one other than her who could reason with Riley: Farkle.

"Farkley," Maya whined into the phone once Farkle picked up. He snorted at the ridiculous nickname, one that she had given him when they were younger. She would only call him that if they were alone. Once he had expressed his disdain for the nickname, she had decided to call him that only in private. Or when she was drunk.

"Maya, I'm not allowed to help you on this one."

"You are! I won't tell Riley about it. C'mon!"

"She can get really scary when she wants to!" Farkle said. He could practically feel his blonde friend rolling her eyes and he chuckled. As much as he wanted to help his friend, his girlfriend had made it very clear that if he helped he would suffer some consequences. And Farkle did not like the consequences Riley came up with.

"Farkle, I swear, I will-"

"Love you too, bye!" The boy shouted over her, ending their call. She tried calling him back, but he didn't pick up. Maya groaned and called the next number on her list, because the only way she would get Riley back here was if she talked to Lucas.

"Shortstack." He greeted. Maya grinned.

"Huckleberry." She greeted back.

"I'm in the neighbourhood, I can come over if you'd like?" He asked.

"You read me like an open book." She replied. He chuckled and ended their call. Lucas was aware that Maya wasn't much of a caller; the only times she called was when she wanted Lucas to come over.

Five minutes later, he was knocking on her window. She opened it and let her friend slide inside her room.

"What's going on?" He asked as he took his coat off. Lucas didn't get cold very easily, but tonight was one of those rare nights where he felt like he was probably going to freeze to death if he didn't warm himself up. He grabbed the blanket that Maya kept on a chair and he wrapped himself in it. He lied next to her on her bed, burying his face as much as he could without choking in one of her pillows.

Out of habit, Maya put her hand on his arm and rubbed up and down to help warm him up. Lucas smirked up at her and opened his arms, and she went into the blanket with him. He instantly felt warmer, and he rested his head on top of hers.

"Riley said she wouldn't come back in if I didn't talk to you. So I figured that if you came over, it would be like we talked and she would come back." She explained.

"Maybe we could talk?" He tried.

"About what?" She asked, playing dumb. Maya was well-aware that they should be talking about them, about what they were, about what they could become. But she didn't want to.

"About us, Maya."

She stayed quiet.

Lucas sighed. For months, he had wanted to get back together with her. He wanted to kiss her, hold her, call her his girlfriend again. He wanted to be in a relationship with her, not just this thing they were doing where they both pretended they were only friends.

"What is there to talk about?" Maya asked, closing her eyes.

"If you're going to be like this, then nothing." Lucas said, his fists clenching the blanket. He suddenly let go and got up, leaving the warm cocoon him and Maya had made, already missing the heat.

"Lucas, don't be mad-" She started.

"I'm not." He said, putting his boots back on.

"Sure you're not. Why are you being like this if you aren't?" She asked, sitting up.

"No reason. I just have to go." He said. Lucas grabbed his coat.

"Lucas." She tried. She repeated his name once more.

He finally turned to her, the window already opened. "What?"

She hesitated. "Nothing." She ended up saying. Lucas shook his head, mumbling four very clear words that Maya didn't miss.

"Make up your mind." He had said.

Lucas slipped out into the night just as Riley came back into Maya's room. The blonde was staring at the window, her train of thoughts running wild.

And that was the seventeenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to go vote on my profile for how you would like to see Twenty Nights end! I would love to hear your ideas, if you have any. :) Also, don't forget to leave a review, they always make me want to write more and they make my day!**

 **-xx**


	19. Night 18: April 16th of senior year

**A/N: So this chapter is much longer than the previous ones. o_o I'm probably going to update tomorrow and the day after for the LAST CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY. No, no, no. I'm not crying.**

 **I'll try to do daily updates for the rest of this story. I hope you'll enjoy this one. It's from Maya's perspective, and she goes more in depth as to _why_ she feels that way towards her relationship with Lucas. You'll see!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 18: April 16** **th** **of senior year**

At three A.M, Maya was awoken by three hard knocks on her window. The blonde grumbled, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. She stood up and unlocked the window, letting her friend in without giving him a glance. It could have been a murderer or a burglar, but she figured that creepy people don't knock on windows before killing or stealing things. Riley had given her a speech on being more careful, but she honestly hadn't listened to a word her best friend had said.

Maya let herself flop onto her bed. She was too tired to talk, and if Lucas came over this late, it was always because he had nightmares. He would just slip in her covers and go to bed.

But he didn't.

Lucas was mumbling to himself, kicking his shoes off and throwing his coat on the floor, making a hell lot of noise, and Maya knew that if her mother hadn't been working a night-shift at the Nighthawk Diner to help out her friend, she would have woken up.

"What's wrong?" Maya said, her voice muffled. Her face was buried in one of her pillows, and she didn't want to move. She just wanted to sleep.

"My dad's here." He answered flatly. Maya did find it a bit strange that Lucas showed up to her house. Since he had left her room the last time, he hadn't been exactly friendly towards her. She knew what he wanted. She knew that she wasn't being fair to him, but it was a lot for her. She had managed to screw up the first time around, and she didn't want to do that once more to lose him forever.

There was also the fact that they were going to college soon. Riley had been accepted in multiple universities, all for their photography programs. Yale University, the Rhode Island School of Design and the School of Visual Arts, in New York. Farkle had been accepted into Harvard and Stanford to study medicine. He had found his calling after joining a non-profit organism once his parents had forced him to "get out there". Lucas had followed his dream of becoming a veterinarian and had applied to as many schools as possible. He was accepted by the majority, but he narrowed it down to two colleges: Cornell and the Colorado State University. As for Maya, she was heading to Yale – yes, the rest of the gang were as surprised as she was, to go into visual arts. She had gotten her grades up during high school, and her SAT scores were through the roof.

Lucas and Maya were headed into two very different directions.

Maya snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Lucas push her gently on the right side of her bed so he could lie next to her. The blonde knew that Lucas hated speaking about his father, so she didn't push. She waited to see if he would add anything, but he didn't.

He was angry for many reasons. She didn't know them all, but she knew that his father didn't let him go back to Texas anymore during the week-ends. He had gotten over that one, but he knew he missed his friends. His father brought out the worst in Lucas, making Texas Lucas come back around every time he was mentioned. Maya thought it was because of his hatred for his father that he had anger issues. She never talked about it, because she knew that it brought out the worst in him. And she hated seeing the cold look in his eyes, the blank expressions and the snapping towards anyone who said anything that could tick him off.

She felt him wrap his arms around her waist. Maya rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She knew Lucas had closed his eyes by now, trying to get some sleep. But she knew what was coming for him for the next few nights: his nightmares always came back around when his dad was around.

"Hey. How about I go get us some coffees and we stay up, tonight? We can eat snacks and watch _Friends_. We're almost done with season 5." Maya suggested. She felt him nod his head, and she got up, making her way to the kitchen. Five minutes later, she came into her room to find the TV turned on and the beginning of the episode on pause. She handed Lucas his coffee mug (Because yes, he had his own mug at her place. All of her friends did.) and sat next to him. He wrapped part of the blanket he had around his shoulders around Maya, and she snuggled into his side. Lucas hit play, and they watched the show.

Four episodes later, they had finished season 5 and two coffees each. Lucas got up to go fill their mugs once again. The blank look hadn't left his eyes, but he seemed a lot more relaxed. His mind didn't seem as preoccupied as before, and she was thankful he was relaxing.

When he came back up, she was drawing. He sat in front of her, sipping his coffee. "What are you drawing?" He asked. It was the second time he had spoken that night, and she couldn't help but smile a bit. She turned the pad towards him: it was a drawing of the two of them, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on her bed and drinking hot coffee. He smiled at the sight, and it seemed like all of his worries washed away.

"I'm glad you're going into visual arts." He started. "You have real talent, Maya. You could be an even greater artist, a great teacher." He stated. Maya blushed a bit at his comment. She was used to hearing people compliment her art, but never Lucas. Back in middle school, he had helped her a lot to make sure the creative arts were kept in school. For her.

It didn't take her long to realize that that was the moment where her mind had shifted and had decided that maybe, just maybe, Lucas could become more than a friend.

She shook her head, letting the memory go.

"Thanks. I'm sure whichever school you go to will be lucky to have you." She replied, the blush never leaving her cheeks. She was usually very good at keeping her emotions in check, but it seemed harder and harder whenever she was around Lucas.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. It's going to be weird, being away from you." Lucas said. Maya raised an eyebrow at him. "All of you. Not just you, but Farkle, Riley and Zay." He said, stuttering. He was caught off-guard by Maya's puzzled look. She chuckled and ripped the sheet from her sketchpad.

"Here. Keep it with you. It's not as good as a picture, but it's something to remember me by." She said, pushing a blonde strand of hair away from her face. He smiled and took the drawing, the blank look finally gone completely from his eyes.

"I could never forget you, Maya."

Maya leaned back against the headboard of her bed, glad that the rising sun didn't hit her face from that angle, because she didn't want Lucas to catch her blushing once more.

And that was the eighteenth night Lucas Friar knocked on Maya Hart's window.

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 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me smile and make me want to write some more!**

 **-xx**


	20. Night 19: June 19th of senior year

**A/N: Damn. You guys voted, and y'all want a twentieth chapter AND an epilogue. I'm keeping the poll open in case there are more votes, but you guys are almost unanimous on that one! I honestly feel like crying, because this is almost the end of the story. This story has been amazing to write for me, it actually helped me find the inspiration I thought I had lost. Thank you all so much for reading.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Night 19: June 19** **th** **of senior year**

"I can't believe we're all going to be separated next year."

"That's not true; you and Maya will be at the same school."

"But we won't see each other that much!"

"You guys are roommates!"

Maya was too busy packing her things to listen to her two best friends bicker. She had decided on bringing a max of two boxes with her to college, and she asked her friends to come help her. No one had objected, because they wanted to spend as much time as possible together before going their separate ways. Maya wanted to make sure she had everything already packed before college, because she knew that Riley would stress her out about it the week right before leaving. She knew she would also be stressed out. Going to college was a big step, and even though Maya would never admit it, she was scared.

She was afraid of losing her friends.

The blonde snapped out of her thoughts and turned to the window after the first knock. She heard a small _pop_ and made a face. Her two friends had been kissing. And as much as she loved both of them, she didn't want them doing anything in her room.

Farkle leaned over and opened the window to let Lucas and Zay in. The duo slipped inside Maya's room, and the blond smiled at Maya. She smiled back before turning away, putting another drawing in a box. She heard Zay slap Farkle's back and the small boy groan. He hadn't gotten much stronger over the years, but Maya couldn't say that he wasn't attractive. Farkle had grown from his bowl cuts to a shorter hairstyle that suited him very well, he had some muscles (that Maya caught herself staring at way too often) and his voice had deepened a lot. He was taller than her and Riley, almost taller than Lucas. Puberty had done only good to Farkle, and Maya was glad that Farkle was much more confident with himself. A bit too confident, if you were to ask her. He wasn't as nerdy-looking as he used to be, and he had become very attractive. Riley sure knew how to pick them.

"Yo, Maya. A little less staring and a little more packing." Zay called out. She realized she had been staring at Farkle and she blushed, rolling her eyes and looking away.

"I wasn't staring." She tried. Her four friends laughed, all knowing very-well that she was in fact staring at Farkle. His girlfriend wrapped her arms protectively around him and pulled her tongue out at her best friend, before giving her a smile. Farkle wrapped his arms around Riley as well, and he kissed the top of her head.

Maya was glad that her two best friends had found each other. It was nice to see both of them so happy and so in love. The promise to never settle for anyone less than Farkle had been kept for Riley. Maya was sure that their relationship would last, because she knew how both of them felt towards one another.

She wished she could have that.

Her eyes went over to Lucas, who was helping Farkle to lift Riley up, because she decided she wanted to take off the drawing of her and Maya _herself._ She missed being with Lucas. She really did. But how could a long distance relationship ever work? They weren't Riley and Farkle. They wouldn't last.

As much as she kept on repeating that to herself, a part of her couldn't help but hope it would work it. That it _should_ work out. Once, when Riley was very drunk after drinking her first beer, she had explained to Maya why she believed that Lucas was perfect for her. The only reason Maya could remember was that they balanced each other out. And she knew it was true.

Zay stood next to her, and leaned close to her ear. "Maybe you should just tell him how you feel instead of staring at him like a creep." He whispered. She slapped his arm at the creep comment, but she still knew that her friend was right. She had to talk to him. She couldn't keep running away from this forever, otherwise she would regret it.

An hour later, the five were sprawled over Maya's bed, all trying to get comfortable to watch _Friends._ Maya's head wound up on Lucas' lap, Riley's head resting on the blonde's stomach, Farkle's arm around her, and Zay's legs over his. They all looked very strange, but she decided to enjoy this moment with her friends. It would probably be one of the last times she could spend around her friends without worrying too much about college. She knew that in two months, her friends' heads would all be directed towards college and their futures, so it just wouldn't be the same.

Maya looked up at Lucas when he laughed. She loved seeing that little smile on his face after something made him laugh, it always made her smile. He noticed his stare on her and he looked down, his smile widening. Maya could feel a blush creeping up on her cheeks, her blue eyes locked with his sea foam eyes. She swallowed thickly when she noticed him starting to lean down, only to be stopped when Zay opened his big mouth.

"Hey. You guys want us to give you some privacy?" He asked, a smirk on his lips. Lucas groaned and Maya sat up quickly, sending Riley flying off the bed, and Farkle following.

"Actually, yes." Maya snapped. Zay's eyes widened.

"It was just a joke, Blondie." Zay tried. Maya pointed the door and her three friends got up, confused. Farkle was the first one to catch on, and he pulled his two friends out the door, saying something about a movie they should go see. Lucas looked as confused as ever, his brows furrowed and his eyes searched for an answer in hers.

"We need to talk." Maya said. Lucas nodded slowly, afraid of what the blonde was going to say. She had messed with his heart enough, and he didn't want to get his hopes up just to be crushed once more.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. And I wanted to tell you that the reason why I'm not helping our… relationship issues is because I feel like we might not last through the distance." She explained. She waited for Lucas to answer, but he only blinked at her. She could see the million thoughts running through his head.

"That's all?" He asked. Maya paused. How was that _all_? Did he not hear her right? They would be 455.92 miles away from each other. That was a long way to go to see her during a week-end. Or for holidays.

"Lucas, this is not _all_! That is a lot!" She exclaimed, confused by his behavior. Cornell was way too far away for him to visit, or for her to visit him.

Lucas moved towards Maya and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her on her lap and she laid her head on his shoulder.

"You see, I may be going very far. I won't be as close to you as I wish to be. But if you're willing to give it a try, then so am I." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Maya. And that's enough to keep me going." He said.

Maya stared at him, her eyes wide.

"…Maya?" He asked tentatively. In an instant, her lips crashed onto his and they fell back onto her bed, all the worries she had finally leaving her mind, because she knew that as long as she was with Lucas, she would be okay. How could she ever doubt?

She loved him too. And that was enough to keep her going.

And that was the nineteenth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, they always make me smile and make me want to write some more!**

 **P.S: Go check out my new one-shot called "stains on your cheeks and holes in your hearts"!**

 **-xx**


	21. Night 20: August 14th

***Sigh* The time has come. I'm so not ready to say goodbye to this story, ugh. It's the first multi-chapter story I complete, and I feel so weird. Anyways. If you guys don't want to read my cheesy speech, you can skip to the story.**

 **For those of you sticking around for my cheesy speech, hello! I would like to thank all of you for joining me on this adventure. It's amazing that I was able to reach so many people through this story. I never expected this kind of feedback from the readers, so this is amazing. I love you all, thank you so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites and/or have followed it, and a special thanks to the ones who took the time to review. You are all amazing!**

 **Now, before I cry for real, here is the last chapter to Twenty Nights. I hope you'll enjoy, and I'll see you for the epilogue.**

* * *

 **Night 20: August 14** **th**

Lucas couldn't sleep. He had been tossing and turning all night, and it was now two in the morning. Riley and Maya were moving away to college, tomorrow. The day after, it was his turn. The day after that, Zay and Farkle's.

Truth be told, he didn't want to leave his friends. He would have done everything to go to the same school as them once more, but Cornell had offered him a full ride, and his mother didn't have the money to pay for college. Cornell also happened to have one of the best programs in the country. But he would be far away from all of his friends, and his girlfriend.

As he got up from his bed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, he picked up his phone to text Maya.

 _To: Shortstack_

 _8/14_

 _I'm coming over. (2:03 AM)_

To: Huckleberry

8/14

Can't sleep? (2:04 AM)

 _To: Shortstack_

 _8/14_

 _Not without you around. (2:07 AM)_

To: Huckleberry

8/14

Sap.

Lucas chuckled at her last text. He didn't bother getting dressed, except for a t-shirt he pulled over his head. He was pretty sure that walking around New York at two AM without a shirt on would look strange. But he had seen even stranger thing…

He snapped out of his thoughts and made his way downstairs. His mother was the heaviest sleeper, or if she was awake, she knew exactly where he was heading. She had given him several hints about knowing where he went all of those nights, but she had never told him directly to his face that she knew he was going to Maya's. If she wasn't fine with it, she would have said so.

Lucas made his way out the door and took the familiar path to Maya's house.

 _For the last time,_ he thought. It felt so strange knowing that tomorrow all of this would be all over. No more seeing his friends every single day, no more barging into Riley's window whenever he needed advice, no more sleeping over at Farkle's with Zay, no more boy's nights, no more watching _Friends_ with his best friends (how ironic was it that they had just finished season 10?), no more sneaking into Maya's room to make her (and him) feel better. Tomorrow, all of that would be gone.

He didn't want it to end.

Three knocks.

Maya was sitting on her bed, drawing. He couldn't see what she was drawing, but when she heard the knock, she put her sketch down and he could see. It was a drawing of the gang, sprawled out on the floor, watching what he guessed was friends. But it was them, all of them, smiling. Maya had captured the moment perfectly, almost as if she had taken a picture.

He was still staring at the sketch when Maya opened the window. Once he heard the window lock in place, he turned to his girlfriend. He couldn't help but smile at her. Maya was the only one that ever made him feel like everything would be okay.

"Hey, sap." Maya greeted, a grin stretching across her face. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before slipping inside her room. He quickly kicked off his shoes and took off his shirt, letting himself flop onto Maya's bed. The blonde sat next to him and he moved, resting his head in her lap. She ran her fingers absent-mindedly through his hair.

"Why couldn't you sleep?" She asked. But he knew that she knew. He didn't reply, simply closing his eyes. He heard her sigh.

"I'm going to miss you, too." She tried. Lucas opened his eyes and looked up at her, sea foam eyes meeting the bright blue eyes he was going to miss.

They had already arranged a time where they would Skype-call each other. They had made a promise that _no matter what_ , they couldn't skip it. _Unless you're dead or dying,_ Maya had chimed in. Lucas had rolled his eyes, very well expecting his girlfriend to take it to the extreme. They would text each other every day, they had promised. Visit each other at least once a month. And Lucas was okay with all of those terms. He still wished he was with her at Yale, but he wasn't going to drop his dream just for Maya, and she was aware of that. She had threatened to punch him if he ever dropped everything for her. She knew how much it meant to him to become a veterinarian, so who was she to stand in the way?

Maya leaned down and kissed Lucas' forehead before grabbing her sketchpad and resuming her drawing. One of her knees was bent, and she rested her sketchpad on it to draw. The other leg was occupied by Lucas, and she was fine with that. Maya preferred not to think about the fact that she was leaving all of her friends soon. She wanted to leave and get it over with, because the longer she would think about it, the more it would hurt.

"Hey, Maya?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She said, a small smile on her face. She put her drawing aside and leaned down once more to kiss him. The two shared a long kiss before Maya pulled away.

"This isn't our last kiss. You're acting like we'll never see each other again." Maya said. Lucas moved his head to one of her pillows so she could lie next to him. The blonde rested her head on her boyfriend's chest, her ear pressed against it to listen to his heartbeat.

"I'm sorry. I care about you a lot. I just don't want us to drift apart." He said.

"Sap." Maya replied. He chuckled, just like he always did when she would call him that.

A few minutes of silence later, Maya heard Lucas' breathing slowing down and then steady itself. He had finally fallen asleep.

Maya snuggled more into Lucas' side. It felt strange to know that this was their last night like this, him sneaking into her bedroom at night. It sounded weird to think about it like that, and most people would assume it was all about sex. But to Maya, it was so much more. If you had told her that she would have ended up in a relationship with _Ranger Rick_ , she probably would have told you to go take your medicine or something. But now that she was here, everything felt fine. She would have never thought that someone like Lucas could have fallen for her, and she never would have thought that she could fall for someone like Lucas. But they were more alike than she had first thought.

Maya was now certain that they could make it through the distance. 455.92 miles wasn't that far.

The blonde played with her necklace, the ring he had given her hung to it. After a joke about getting each other promise rings, he had gone out and had gotten them some. One for him, and one for her. She kept it next to her locket. In the middle was the locket her mother had gotten her on her fourteenth birthday, on the right of the locket was her best friend ring that Riley had given her, and on the left of the locket was her promise ring. She brought the locket up to her lips and kissed it. _It's for good luck,_ Farkle had pointed out when Riley had seen her do it. And he was right.

Her eyes found Lucas, peacefully sleeping. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before resting her head back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and for one last time, falling asleep next to him, in the comfort of her bed.

And that was the twentieth night Lucas knocked on Maya's window.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading. Don't forget to leave a review, I love you all. I hope you enjoyed.**

 **xx**

 **- _Snow_**


	22. Epilogue

**A/N: Here's the short epilogue I promised. It's set thirteen years into the future. You won't believe who Zay ended up with. ;) I hope you'll enjoy and once again, thank you for joining me on this epic adventure. Y'all are amazing.**

 **For one last time, enjoy!**

* * *

 **December 8th, thirteen years later**

Lucas wrapped his arms around himself, trying to shield himself from the cold. He had been kicked out of the Minkus house during the party after saying a very sexual comment about Riley. He hadn't meant to do it, but after years of living with his wife, you would understand that his vocabulary and thoughts had suffered from it.

He made his way around the house, stepping in the cold snow, his socks already drenched. He groaned and made a mental note to kill the five of them. He could always make more friends.

The blond finally found the living room window and knocked. He heard some shrieks, which were expected. They weren't used to hearing someone knock on their window. No one should be.

In front of him stood five children. He smiled at his kids, hoping to earn some pity from them, but they only laughed. In the middle stood the Minkus twins, a boy and a girl, both with surprisingly bright ginger hair. On their right was a little boy named Jackson, whom Zay and Smackle had adopted after finding out that she couldn't have children. On the left of the twins were his kids, two little blond devils that were _still_ laughing at their father. His oldest daughter was holding the hand of her little brother, keeping him from falling on his ass.

The five parents ran into the room, alarmed by the shrieks, the running and the laughing.

"Cody and Carly, get away from the window!" Riley Minkus shouted, her eyes widening. The two kids pointed the window, trying to explain who it was, but their mother wouldn't hear it. The twins stood still.

"Riley, don't bother." Maya said, a grin plastered on her face. She walked to her kids, picking up the youngest, who had – after all of his sister's efforts – fallen on his ass.

"Connor, doesn't daddy look funny?" Maya asked in a babyish voice, smiling. She looked back at the window. "Yes he does!"

"Maya, this isn't funny. Please let me in. I said I was sorry." Lucas tried to reason.

"But uncle Farkle is the one who pushed you out." Ellie said, playing with her blonde hair and looking back at her uncle. Jackson had run to his mother's arms, not seeming to understand that it was his uncle who stood outside the window.

"We'll let you in. But you have to do it old school." Farkle said. Maya smirked and sat Connor on the floor. As soon as she did, Ellie ran to her little brother and pulled him up. She had always been like this with her little brother, pulling him along everywhere she went. Lucas normally would have smiled at the action, but he was freezing his ass off out here.

So when Maya opened the window, he basically threw himself inside. "I'm much bigger than I used to be!" Lucas pointed out, barely squeezing through the window. His hair was wet from the snow, and he was shivering. Zay was already waiting for him, towel in hand. Once his friend had dried himself off, he looked at Maya.

"That wasn't funny." He said. She couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips, and just seeing her smile was enough to make him smile.

"It was." She replied, wrapping a blanket around her shivering husband. He rolled his eyes and pulled her in the blanket with him, kissing her forehead.

"Daddy?" Ellie asked, sitting on the couch and trying to pull Connor up with her. Cody and Carly sat on the floor, looking up at their uncle. Smackle and Zay took place on the floor also, Zay holding his little boy on his lap.

"Yeah?" Lucas asked, turning his attention to Ellie. Farkle and Riley sat on a chair, his arms wrapped around her waist.

"You promised you would tell the story of how you and Mommy got married." She reminded him. He chuckled and nodded, sitting on the couch with his wife.

"It's a long story." Riley said, a small smile on her face.

"But it's a great story." Maya pointed out, turning to her best friend. The brunette giggled and nodded. The blonde turned back to her husband as he started telling the story.

"You see, it all started during our freshman year of high school, your mother didn't want to do our science project. And I got angry. So, one November night, I decided to knock on her window…"


	23. Announcement!

**A/N: Hello everyone! If you guys follow me on Tumblr ( fuck-yeah-Rilaya), then you are probably already aware of this. But for those of you who have enjoyed this story and do not follow me/do not have a Tumblr account, you might not know about this. I have entered this story in a contest, and I would really appreciate it if you guys could take two seconds and go vote for my story!**

 **Just copy the link below and replace what's in between the parenthesizes and you will be taken to the contest page. All you have to do is click the "popular" box and search for my story. We are currently at number 158 with two votes. :) I really hope you guys take the time to do this! It would be amazing if we won!**

 **inkitt (dott) com (slash) fandom2 (?) sort=popular**

 **P.S: I am aware that I have written "dott". It wouldn't work, otherwise.**

 **Thank you so much, guys! :)**


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